Award winning books are many. But no matter how rich and admiring some of these books are, we only read them, talk about them, and praise their authors for doing some great literary works. It is hard to find that people who admire these books commit them to memory out of admiration. Doing so would have been an earnest and honest show of admiration. Any author whose book is memorized by people (out of admiration) will naturally admire those who commit their book to memory. Could it be that I am not too conversant with history? Readers can help me out. Has there been a book on the surface of the earth that is proudly and celebratorily committed to memory, generation after generation, by its admirers? I know of only one. Yet it is not an award winning book because it is not in competition with any book nor is any book in competition with it. Its author is not in rival with any other author nor is it possible for any author to rival the author of the book.
Which book is this? This question shouldn’t be a brainteaser. If you guessed the answer and you are right, you deserve no praise for guessing because you do not need to guess. You only need to know—to know with certitude. The book is the Qur’an. If you had just realized what the book is, as a Muslim, only after I mentioned it, it means you have to upgrade. Yes! You should upgrade. In fact, one needs not be a Muslim to admit that the Qur’an is an unrivalled book in its uniqueness, essence, and content. One only needs to be conversant with great books which are universally celebrated and analyse them with objective mind to realize that the Qur’an is unrivalled.
Since it was revealed almost one thousand five hundred years ago, it has never been edited. It is not being edited. It will never be edited. It is uneditable. Or where do you start from and how do you go about it? Read any part of the Qur’an, while reading it, add a word to it or omit a word from it in an attempt to alter it. What will amaze you is that there are thousands of illustrious Muslim kids who will immediately correct you; not even the scholars.
The Qur’an has no old edition. No medieval edition. No new edition. No Saudi Arabian version. No Mauritanian version. No Nigerian version. It is easy to reference because it is only one book. Languages do under go changes. Dictionaries are editionalized from time to time. Arabic Language, in this respect, shares this dynamism with other languages. Yet, this dynamism has not, and will not, in any way, archaize the wordings of the Qur’an. Its author (Allah) selectively chose its words to be a reference point—in its unique sense—till eternity. Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas beautifully describes the Qur’an as “unchanged, unchanging, and unchangeable” in his book, Islam and Secularism, published 31 years ago.
This article is about the 19-year-old Hajara Ibrahim Dan’azumi from Gombe State who emerged overall winner of an international Qur’anic recitation competition held in Jordan. She emerged with a near perfect points (99.5%) to defeat 40 other participants from 39 different countries. The former minister of communication and digital economy Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami reportedly promised her scholarship and gifted her a car. That is not surprising; he has only acted like a lover of Qur’an which he is. I expect many well meaning Nigerians to act like Pantami to celebrate Hajara. One should not think Hajara has spent the whole of her life doing nothing but memorizing the Qur’an. No. She is also a student at Gombe State University (GSU). That is to say she memorized the Qur’an, despite her other engagements, and excelled.
One might also think she is undertaking a course in the department of Islamic studies. So, many will ask, what is the essence of praising a fish for swimming in a river? But, no! Hajara is studying Botany. She has achieved a feat which many who specialize in the field of Islamic Studies could not achieve and will not achieve. Those who do not know might also think that the Qur’an is a pamphlet of few pages which could be memorized by anyone. No. The Qur’an is a great book which—in its common page margin and font size of fifteen (15) lines per page—has six hundred and four (604) pages, one hundred and fourteen (114) chapters, and six thousand two hundred and thirty six (6, 236) verses.
There is something unique about Hajara’s family. She is not alone in this effort of memorizing the Qur’an. Her other siblings, Safiyya and Maryam, had, before now, clinched other enviable positions in other nationwide Qur’anic recitation competitions in Nigeria. I congratulate their parents, teachers, and all those who contributed positively to their training and upbringing. May Allah reward them handsomely. Indeed, this family, not only Hajara, should be celebrated. It is difficult to have these kinds of dedicated and principled daughters in this present age.
It is only by Allah’s Grace could one grow up, especially a lady, to achieve this feat. For, we live in an age (an era) where girls, ladies, and mothers focus on their bodies (skin). They focus on their sizes, complexions, and colors. They have graduated from toning their skin to bleaching it. Still not satisfied with their outlooks, many do different cosmetic surgeries. They fault their Creator and complain bitterly to Him for fashioning them in structures they detest. Their preoccupation which they mostly cherish is how they appear before debauched men and what these men say about their body contours. That is what brings them joy and fulfilment. Just tell them; “you look gorgeous.” Before you know it, they are mad in their false self-fulfillment even if they actually look ugly. Unlike them, Hajara invested her time on her heart and intellect. Today, she is celebrated all over the world; not by debauched men but by responsible people. It may not be an exaggeration to say even the angels celebrate her.
That said, here are some salient questions. Does memorization of the Qur’an, in and of itself, make one a religious scholar? Absolutely no. Does it make one a righteous person. Maybe. Does it make one excel in academics? Probably. Does it make one a good wife or husband? Possibly. Does is make one a good administrator? Not necessary.
Okay, is it compulsory to memorize the Qur’an? No. Again, can one consider himself or herself a failure for not memorizing the Qur’an? Well, this is relative. Its answer could be “yes” or “no” or something in between. For instance, I consider myself a “failure” for not memorizing the Qur’an. Many Muslims do not see it that way; after all, it is not compulsory to memorize it. They are right. These are some of the misconceptions about memorizing the Qur’an that should be clarified. It is, of course, a great achievement to memorize it. It does not mean whoever memorizes the Qur’an has achieved everything. S/he has achieved great thing; no doubt.
Yet, and to be clear, anyone who memorizes the Qur’an makes many other virtuous things easy for themselves if they worked towards achieving those things. To be specific, when the Qur’an elevates you, your success has no limits but that is only if you choose to be successful. For example, it will be pretty much easier for Hajara Ibrahim to graduate with first class in Botany if she works towards it. Why? Her heart has become much dilated and her memory has become very sharp to accommodate and learn a lot of things by virtue of the Qur’an she has memorized. Memorization of the Qur’an is a process; that process has taught her to be disciplined, dedicated, and focused. These are the required ingredients for success. She can make the sacrifice to discomfort herself to succeed academically than many others. May Allah bless her, protect her, and grant her success in all her endeavors.
Note: What I have written above does not touch on spiritual benefits of memorizing the Qur’an. The benefits abound. Also, what is meant by “Allah is the Author of the Qur’an” is that He revealed it to the Prophet—words for words (SAW).
Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
